Wind Concerns Ontario is a province-wide advocacy organization whose mission is to provide information on the potential impact of industrial-scale wind power generation on the economy, human health, and the natural environment.

Ontario’s wind farms not a success

Bob Chiarelli is quoted in The Hill Times as saying “wind power produces no greenhouse gases and is part of a program of modernization of Ontario’s power system. It’s a tremendous success story” (“Critics call Ontario’s wind farms ‘a disaster’ in rural areas but Energy Minister Chiarelli says government is working with municipalities,” Renewable Energy Policy Briefing, Aug. 12), I beg to differ with that statement. Mr. Chiarelli is either uninformed or very disingenous and he is totally wrong. It takes several thousand tons of coal to produce one industrial wind turbine. How is that modernizing the system? Coal produces greenhouse gasses. Ontario has spent millions of dollars ($60-million in 2009) for the Bruce Power Plant not to produce power. We do not need nor can Ontario afford IWTs. It is all a financial disaster for Ontario. IWTs were forced on us by the McGuinty/Wynne Liberals. They turned our rural area into an industrial zone. As a result, we are “enjoying” our senior years surrounded by IWTs. We have tried to sell and move to a smaller property but no one is looking. The whole area is in turmoil as family members, neighbours and friends are about to start a class action law suit against the land owners and wind proponents. Many are suffering health problems related to IWTs and Mr. Chiarelli calls this a “success story?”Frank and Helen BelbeckFisherville, Ont.

The governments continued enthusiasm for wind turbines, despite critical assessments by multiple parties and ongoing opposition by multiple groups suggest that they consider the program a success. But against what criteria? That is the real mystery. One thing is clear, it is not helping Ontario to be economically better off. Neither is the environment nor species at risk healthier as a result. So who is benefiting from all of this? And why is our government, sworn to serve ALL Ontarians, helping them at great cost to the rest of us?

If anyone thought the Ontario Liberals would help ALL Ontarians, they were mistaken. The bad thing is that we cannot get rid of them. More people owe their livelihood to the Ontario government than do not. The rest of us pay increasing taxes and increasing electricity rates. I cannot figure a better way out than to just leave.